A great deal of palaeoenvironmental and palaeoclimatic evidence suggests that a predominant temperature drop and an aridiflcation occurred at ca. 4.0 ka BP. Palaeoclimate studies in China support this dedution. The co...A great deal of palaeoenvironmental and palaeoclimatic evidence suggests that a predominant temperature drop and an aridiflcation occurred at ca. 4.0 ka BP. Palaeoclimate studies in China support this dedution. The collapse of ancient civilizations at ca. 4.0 ka BP in the Nile Valley and Mesopotamia has been attributed to climate-induced aridification. A widespread alternation of the ancient cultures was also found in China at ca. 4.0 ka BP in concert with the collapse of the civilizations in the Old World. Palaeoclimatic studies indicate that the abrupt climate change at 4.0 ka BP is one of the realizations of the cold phase in millennial scale climate oscillations, which may be related to the modulation of the Thermohaline Circulation (THC) over the Atlantic Ocean. Therefore, this study conducts a numerical experiment of a GCM with SST forcing to simulate the impact of the weakening of the THC. Results show a drop in temperature from North Europe, the northern middle East Asia, and northern East Asia and a significant reduction of precipitation in East Africa, the Middle East, the Indian Peninsula, and the Yellow River Valley. This seems to support the idea that coldness and aridification at ca. 4.0 ka BP was caused by the weakening of the THC.展开更多
Various paleoclimate records have shown that the Asian monsoon was punctuated by numerous suborbital time-scale events, and these events were coeval with those that happened in the North Atlantic. This study investiga...Various paleoclimate records have shown that the Asian monsoon was punctuated by numerous suborbital time-scale events, and these events were coeval with those that happened in the North Atlantic. This study investigates the Asian summer monsoon responses to the Atlantic Ocean forcing by applying an additional freshwater flux into the North Atlantic. The simulated results indicate that the cold North Atlantic and warm South Atlantic induced by the weakened Atlantic thermohaline circulation （THC） due to the freshwater flux lead to significantly suppressed Asian summer monsoon. The authors analyzed the detailed processes of the Atlantic Ocean forcing on the Asian summer monsoon, and found that the atmospheric teleconnection in the eastern and central North Pacific and the atmosphere-ocean interaction in the tropical North Pacific play the most crucial role. Enhanced precipitation in the subtropical North Pacific extends the effects of Atlantic Ocean forcing from the eastern Pacific into the western Pacific, and the atmosphere-ocean interaction in the tropical Pacific and Indian Ocean intensifies the circulation and precipitation anomalies in the Pacific and East Asia.展开更多
Nonlinear development of salinity perturbations in the Atlantic thermohaline circulation(THC) is investigated with a three-dimensional ocean circulation model,using the conditional nonlinear optimal perturbation metho...Nonlinear development of salinity perturbations in the Atlantic thermohaline circulation(THC) is investigated with a three-dimensional ocean circulation model,using the conditional nonlinear optimal perturbation method.The results show two types of optimal initial perturbations of sea surface salinity,one associated with freshwater and the other with salinity.Both types of perturbations excite decadal variability of the THC.Under the same amplitude of initial perturbation,the decadal variation induced by the freshwater perturbation is much stronger than that by the salinity perturbation,suggesting that the THC is more sensitive to freshwater than salinity perturbation.As the amplitude of initial perturbation increases,the decadal variations become stronger for both perturbations.For salinity perturbations,recovery time of the THC to return to steady state gradually saturates with increasing amplitude,whereas this recovery time increases remarkably for freshwater perturbations.A nonlinear(advective) feedback between density and velocity anomalies is proposed to explain these characteristics of decadal variability excitation.The results are consistent with previous ones from simple box models,and highlight the importance of nonlinear feedback in decadal THC variability.展开更多
The decadal variability of the North Atlantic thermohaline circulation(THC) is investigated within a three-dimensional ocean circulation model using the conditional nonlinear optimal perturbation method. The results s...The decadal variability of the North Atlantic thermohaline circulation(THC) is investigated within a three-dimensional ocean circulation model using the conditional nonlinear optimal perturbation method. The results show that the optimal initial perturbations of temperature and salinity exciting the strongest decadal THC variations have similar structures: the perturbations are mainly in the northwestern basin at a depth ranging from 1500 to 3000 m. These temperature and salinity perturbations act as the optimal precursors for future modifications of the THC, highlighting the importance of observations in the northwestern basin to monitor the variations of temperature and salinity at depth. The decadal THC variation in the nonlinear model initialized by the optimal salinity perturbations is much stronger than that caused by the optimal temperature perturbations, indicating that salinity variations might play a relatively important role in exciting the decadal THC variability. Moreover, the decadal THC variations in the tangent linear and nonlinear models show remarkably different characteristics, suggesting the importance of nonlinear processes in the decadal variability of the THC.展开更多
Based on the evidence available from both observations and model simulations, the author proposes a view that may provide a unified interpretation of the North Atlantic thermohaline variability. Because of the slow re...Based on the evidence available from both observations and model simulations, the author proposes a view that may provide a unified interpretation of the North Atlantic thermohaline variability. Because of the slow response time of the Southern Ocean （millennia） and the relatively faster response time of the North Atlantic （centuries）, the North Atlantic thermohaline circulation is controlled predominantly by the climate forcing over the Southern Ocean at the long glacial cycle timescales, but by the North Atlantic climate forcing at the short millennial timescaies.展开更多
The changes in the thermohaline circulation （THC） because of the increased CO2 in the atmosphere play an important role in future climate regimes. In this article, a new climate model developed at the Max-Planck Ins...The changes in the thermohaline circulation （THC） because of the increased CO2 in the atmosphere play an important role in future climate regimes. In this article, a new climate model developed at the Max-Planck Institute for Meteorology is used to study the variation in THC strength, the changes of North Atlantic deep-water （NADW） formation, and the regional responses of the THC in the North Atlantic to increasing atmospheric CO2. From 2000 to 2100, under increased CO2 scenarios （B1, AIB, and A2）, the strength of THC decreases by 4 Sv （106 m^3/s）, 5.1 Sv, and 5.2 Sv, respectively, equivalent to a reduction of 20%, 25%, and 25.1% of the present THC strength. The analyses show that the oceanic deep convective activity significantly strengthens in the Greenland-leeland-Norway （GIN） Seas owing to saltier （denser） upper oceans, whereas weakens in the Labrador Sea and in the south of the Denmark Strait region （SDSR） because of surface warming and freshening due to global warming. The saltiness of the GIN Seas is mainly caused by the increase of the saline North Atlantic inflow through the Faro-Bank （FB） Channel. Under the scenario A1B, the deep-water formation rate in the North Atlantic decreases from 16.2 Sv to 12.9 Sv with increasing CO2.展开更多
Atlantic thermohaline circulation(THC) is a key component of the Earth Climate System and identification of its changes during the 20th Century is critical to the understanding of its variation characteristics and the...Atlantic thermohaline circulation(THC) is a key component of the Earth Climate System and identification of its changes during the 20th Century is critical to the understanding of its variation characteristics and the corresponding climatic impacts.Previous researches have been inconclusive,with the results varying depending on the approach used to measure THC.The results for the two established approaches for measurement of the phenomenon(direct observation and indirect reconstruction) are contradictive(weakening and non-weakening),and their credibility needs improving.Based on the tight relationship between THC anomaly and "see-saw" intensities of Sea Surface Temperature(SST) and Surface Air Temperature(SAT),we first diagnose their quantitative relationship in the model experiments,which is corresponding to its two possible scenarios,and then reconstruct the changes of THC during the 20th Century respectively with multiple observed datasets of SST and SAT.Model results show that THC anomaly and SST/SAT "see-saw" intensities are well correlated in timescales longer than 10/40 years under scenarios of weakening/non-weakening respectively.Two kinds of reconstructions here are consistent with each other,and we propose that THC has undergone a 2-cycle oscillation with inter-decadal scale since the Industrial Revolution with a magnitude of about 1 Sv.The transformation times of decadal trend are around the mid-1910s,the 1940s,and the mid-1970s.This research further validates the main results of previous reconstructions,and points out that THC does not have a long-term weakening during the 20th Century.展开更多
The assertion that the thermohaline circulation(THC)is driven and sustained by mechanical energy has been increasingly accepted.The simplest conceptual model describing the THC is the Stommel two-box model.Given the v...The assertion that the thermohaline circulation(THC)is driven and sustained by mechanical energy has been increasingly accepted.The simplest conceptual model describing the THC is the Stommel two-box model.Given the vertical stratification in the real ocean,layered models were designed and used.In this research,using a two-layer conceptual model based on energy constraint,we studied basic features of thermal-mode and saline-mode circulations.We focused on the effects of freshwater flux and mixing energy on the intensity and multiple equilibrium states of the THC.The results show that more important than affecting the THC intensity,both the decrease of freshwater flux and increase of mixing energy can lead to an"abrupt transition"in the THC from a stable saline to a stable thermal mode,which further develops the THC energy theory.展开更多
The latest two versions of the IAP Flexible Global Ocean-Atmosphere-Land System （FGOALS） model- versions g1.0 and g1.1, are described in this study. Both two versions are fully coupled GCMs without any flux correcti...The latest two versions of the IAP Flexible Global Ocean-Atmosphere-Land System （FGOALS） model- versions g1.0 and g1.1, are described in this study. Both two versions are fully coupled GCMs without any flux correction, major changes for g1.1 mainly lie in four aspects： （1） advection schemes for tracer in the ocean component model; （2） zonal filter scheme in high latitudes in the ocean component model; （3） coupling scheme for fresh water flux in high latitudes; and （4） an improved algorithm of airsea turbulent flux depending on the surface current of the ocean. As a result, the substantial cold biases in the tropical Pacific and high latitudes are improved by g1.1, especially g1.1 simulates more reasonable equatorial thermocline, poleward heat transport, zonal overturning stream function in the ocean and sea ice distribution than g1.0. Significant ENSO variability are simulated by both versions, however the ENSO behavior by g1.0 differs from the observed one in many aspects： about twice ENSO amplitude as observed, false ENSO asymmetry, only one peak period around 3 years, etc. Due to improved mean climate state by g1.1, many basic characteristics of ENSO are reproduced by g1.1, e.g., more reasonable ENSO amplitude, two peaks of power spectra for ENSO events, and positive SST skewness in the eastern Pacific as observed.展开更多
The process of air—sea fresh water exchange is included successfully in the Global— Ocean—Atmosphere Land—System model developed at the State Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Sciences and Geophysical Fluid Dynamics (...The process of air—sea fresh water exchange is included successfully in the Global— Ocean—Atmosphere Land—System model developed at the State Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Sciences and Geophysical Fluid Dynamics (LASG). The results of the coupled integration show that the climate drift has been controlled successfully. Analyses on the responses of ocean circulation to the changes of surface fresh water or salinity forcing show that the ocean spin-up stage under flux condition for salinity is the key to the implementation of air-sea fresh water flux coupling. This study also demonstrates that the Modified—Monthly—Flux—Anomaly coupling scheme (MMFA) brought forward by Yu and Zhang (1998) is suitable not only for daily air—sea heat flux coupling but also for daily fresh water flux coupling. Key words Fresh water flux - Air-sea coupling - Thermohaline circulation This work was co-supported by the National Key Project (Grant No.96-908-02-03), the Excellent National Key Laboratory Research Project (Grant No.49823002) and Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) under grant “ Bai Ren Ji Hua? for “Validation of Coupled Climate Models”.展开更多
In this paper, the role of westerly winds at southern high latitudes in global climate is investigated in a fully coupled ocean-atmosphere general circulation model. In the model, the wind stress south of 40°S is...In this paper, the role of westerly winds at southern high latitudes in global climate is investigated in a fully coupled ocean-atmosphere general circulation model. In the model, the wind stress south of 40°S is turned off with ocean and atmosphere fully coupled both locally and elsewhere. The coupled model explicitly demonstrates that a shutdown of southern high latitude wind stress induces a general cooling over the Antarctic Circumpolar Current （ACC） region, with surface Ekman flow and vertical mixing playing competitive roles. This cooling leads to an equatorward expansion of sea ice and triggers an equivalent barotropic response in the atmosphere to accelerate westerly anomalies. The shutdown of southern high latitude wind stress also significantly reduces global meridional overturning circulation （MOC）. The Antarctic MOC （AnMOC） nearly disappears while the Atlantic MOC （AMOC） is weakened by 50%, suggesting a strong control of the southern high latitude winds over the thermohaline circulation （THC）. In spite of a substantial weakening of the AMOC, the interhemispheric SST seesaw appears to be not significant due to an equatorward extension of the southern extratropical cooling through coupled wind-evaporation-SST （WES） feedback. In addition, it is found that the weakening of Atlantic MOC by as much as 50% is capable of cooling the time mean subpolar Atlantic temperature by only about 1°C.展开更多
Based on field outcrop data,the effects of cyclic change of astronomical orbit and volcanic activity on organic carbon accumulation during the Late Ordovician-Early Silurian in the Upper Yangtze area were studied usin...Based on field outcrop data,the effects of cyclic change of astronomical orbit and volcanic activity on organic carbon accumulation during the Late Ordovician-Early Silurian in the Upper Yangtze area were studied using cyclostratigraphic and geochemical methods.d13 C and chemical index of alteration(CIA)were used to filter the astronomical orbit parameters recorded in sediments.It is found that the climate change driven by orbital cycle controls the fluctuations of sea level at different scales,obliquity forcing climate changes drive thermohaline circulation(THC)of the ocean,and THC-induced bottom currents transport nutrient-laden water from high latitude regions to the surface water of low-latitude area.Hence,THC is the main dynamic mechanism of organic-carbon supply.The marine productivity indexes of Ba/Al and Ni/Al indicate that volcanic activities had limited effect on marine productivity but had great influences on organic carbon preservation efficiency in late Hirnantian(E4).Paleo-ocean redox environmental indicators Th/U,V/Cr and V/(V+Ni)show that there is a significant correlation between volcanism and oxygen content in Paleo-ocean,so it is inferred that volcanisms controlled the organic carbon preservation efficiency by regulating oxygen content in Paleo-ocean,and the difference in volcanism intensity in different areas is an important factor for the differential preservation efficiency of organic carbon.The organic carbon input driven by orbital cycle and the preservation efficiency affected by volcanisms worked together to control the enrichment of organic carbon in the Middle–Upper Yangtze region.展开更多
An ocean carbon cycle model driven by a constant flow field produced by a two-dimensional thermohaline circulation model is developed. Assuming that the biogenic carbon in the oceans is in a dynamic equilibrium, the i...An ocean carbon cycle model driven by a constant flow field produced by a two-dimensional thermohaline circulation model is developed. Assuming that the biogenic carbon in the oceans is in a dynamic equilibrium, the inorganic carbon cycle is investigated. Before the oceanic uptake of CO_2 is carried out, the investigation of 14C distributions in the oceans, including natural and bomb-produced 14C,is conducted by using different values of the exchange coefficient of CO_2for different flow fields (different vertical diffusivities) to test the performance of the model. The suitable values of the exchange coefficient and vertical diffusivities are chosen for the carbon cycle model. Under the forcing of given preindustrial atmospheric CO_2 concentration of 280 ppmv, the carbon cycle model is integrated for seven thousand years to reach a steady state. For the human perturbation, two methods including the prescribed atmospheric pCO_2 and prescribed industrial emissions are used in this work. The results from the prescribed atmospheric pCO_2 show that the oceans take up 36% of carbon dioxide released by human activities for the period of 1980-1989, while the results from the prescribed industrial emission rates show that the oceans take up 34% of carbon dioxide emitted by industrial sources for the same period. By using the simple method of subtracting industrial emission rate from the total atmosphere+ocean accumulating rate, it can be deduced that before industrial revolution a non-industrial source exists, while after 1940 an extra sink is needed, and that a total non-industrial source of 45 GtC is obtained for the period of 1790-1990.展开更多
We use the particle size of sediments in core YS01A to study the sedimentary environment of the mud deposit in the central South Yellow Sea of China during late Marine Isotope Stages 3 （MIS3; 40.5 kyr-31.3 kyr）. In ...We use the particle size of sediments in core YS01A to study the sedimentary environment of the mud deposit in the central South Yellow Sea of China during late Marine Isotope Stages 3 （MIS3; 40.5 kyr-31.3 kyr）. In addition, the East Asian Monsoon and its relationship with the North Atlantic Ocean climate change are discussed based on the sensitive grain-size calculation and the spectrum analysis. The results show that during late MIS3, the muddy area in the central South Yellow Sea experienced the evolution of coastal facies, shallow marine facies, coastal facies, and continental facies, with weak hydrodynamic conditions. Compared with other climate indicators, we found that there were many century to millennium-scale climate signals documented in the muddy area sediments in the central South Yellow Sea. According to our particle size results, three strong winter monsoon events occurred at 37.6kyr, 35.6kyr and 32.2kyr. The East Asian Winter Monsoon records in core YS01A are consistent with the Greenland ice core and the Hulu cave stalagmite 8180. The millennial and centennial scale cycles, which are 55 yr, 72 yr, 115 yr, 262 yr respectively, correspond to solar activity cycles, while the 1049 yr and 2941 yr cycles correspond to the Dansgaard-Oeschger cycles. These cycles indicate that the paleoclimate evolution of the area was controlled by the solar activities, with the high-latitude driving thermohaline circulation as the main energy conveyor belt, followed by the sea-air-land amplification of the winter monsoon variation in the central Yellow Sea in the late MIS3.展开更多
Irregular centennial oscillations, with a spectral peak at 106 years, were obtained from an ocean-ice coupled model for the North Atlantic with realistic coastline and bottom topography. The model's thermohaline c...Irregular centennial oscillations, with a spectral peak at 106 years, were obtained from an ocean-ice coupled model for the North Atlantic with realistic coastline and bottom topography. The model's thermohaline circulation is forced by mixed boundary conditions, i.e., a Haney-type relaxation condition for temperature, but an equivalent virtual salt flux condition for salinity. All forcing fields are taken from the observed monthly mean climatological wind stress and buoyancy fluxes. The oscillations appeared in the form of a surface—intensified tripole in both the sea surface temperature and salinity fields located in the vicinity of the Labrador Sea. The oscillations involve a delicate interplay between heat and fresh water advection by meridional overturning circulation, horizontal gyres, vertical convection, and the seasonal cycle. The oscillations are primarily controlled by the salinity component of the circulation; however, sea ice plays a minor role in driving the oscillations observed in the model. On the other hand, a regular seasonal cycle in the forcing fields is an important ingredient for the centennial oscillations.展开更多
Climate changes at the multi-decadal scale are often associated with multi-decadal phase shifts of the dominant sea surface temperature （SST） pattern, such as the Pacific Decadal Oscillation （PDO）. The PDO may be ...Climate changes at the multi-decadal scale are often associated with multi-decadal phase shifts of the dominant sea surface temperature （SST） pattern, such as the Pacific Decadal Oscillation （PDO）. The PDO may be associated with the North Pacific branch of the Thermohaline Circulation （THC）. Great earthquakes （M 〉8）, particularly along the route of the THC, might modulate the vertical mixing and bring deep, cold water to surface, contributing to multi-decadal changes in surface currents and the PDO. This may eventually lead to multi-decadal climate changes. We tested this hypothesis for the Pacific Ocean where great earthquakes have been frequently recorded. We found associations between the PDO and recurrent earthquakes along the route of the deep currents of the THC in the modern period since 1900, and relationships between hydroclimate change in Monsoonal Asia and historical earthquakes since 1300. However, it should be noted that this hypothesis is very preliminary and has many gaps that needs further evidences from more observational records and modeling studies.展开更多
基金supported by the National Key Basic Research Special Funds of China(G1998040900)the National Natural Science Foundation of China under Grant Nos.40005004 and 40205011.
文摘A great deal of palaeoenvironmental and palaeoclimatic evidence suggests that a predominant temperature drop and an aridiflcation occurred at ca. 4.0 ka BP. Palaeoclimate studies in China support this dedution. The collapse of ancient civilizations at ca. 4.0 ka BP in the Nile Valley and Mesopotamia has been attributed to climate-induced aridification. A widespread alternation of the ancient cultures was also found in China at ca. 4.0 ka BP in concert with the collapse of the civilizations in the Old World. Palaeoclimatic studies indicate that the abrupt climate change at 4.0 ka BP is one of the realizations of the cold phase in millennial scale climate oscillations, which may be related to the modulation of the Thermohaline Circulation (THC) over the Atlantic Ocean. Therefore, this study conducts a numerical experiment of a GCM with SST forcing to simulate the impact of the weakening of the THC. Results show a drop in temperature from North Europe, the northern middle East Asia, and northern East Asia and a significant reduction of precipitation in East Africa, the Middle East, the Indian Peninsula, and the Yellow River Valley. This seems to support the idea that coldness and aridification at ca. 4.0 ka BP was caused by the weakening of the THC.
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China (GrantNos. 40221503 and 40523001)the EU EN-SEMBLES (GOCE-CT-2003-505539)DYNAMITE(003903-GOCE) projects at the National Centre for Atmo-spheric Science. We would like to thank Jonathan Gregoryfor performing the coupled model simulations in the Hadley Centre for Climate Prediction and Research and for mak-ing them available to us, and to thank the two anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments.
文摘Various paleoclimate records have shown that the Asian monsoon was punctuated by numerous suborbital time-scale events, and these events were coeval with those that happened in the North Atlantic. This study investigates the Asian summer monsoon responses to the Atlantic Ocean forcing by applying an additional freshwater flux into the North Atlantic. The simulated results indicate that the cold North Atlantic and warm South Atlantic induced by the weakened Atlantic thermohaline circulation （THC） due to the freshwater flux lead to significantly suppressed Asian summer monsoon. The authors analyzed the detailed processes of the Atlantic Ocean forcing on the Asian summer monsoon, and found that the atmospheric teleconnection in the eastern and central North Pacific and the atmosphere-ocean interaction in the tropical North Pacific play the most crucial role. Enhanced precipitation in the subtropical North Pacific extends the effects of Atlantic Ocean forcing from the eastern Pacific into the western Pacific, and the atmosphere-ocean interaction in the tropical Pacific and Indian Ocean intensifies the circulation and precipitation anomalies in the Pacific and East Asia.
基金Supported by the National Basic Research Program of China(973 Program)(No.2012CB417404)
文摘Nonlinear development of salinity perturbations in the Atlantic thermohaline circulation(THC) is investigated with a three-dimensional ocean circulation model,using the conditional nonlinear optimal perturbation method.The results show two types of optimal initial perturbations of sea surface salinity,one associated with freshwater and the other with salinity.Both types of perturbations excite decadal variability of the THC.Under the same amplitude of initial perturbation,the decadal variation induced by the freshwater perturbation is much stronger than that by the salinity perturbation,suggesting that the THC is more sensitive to freshwater than salinity perturbation.As the amplitude of initial perturbation increases,the decadal variations become stronger for both perturbations.For salinity perturbations,recovery time of the THC to return to steady state gradually saturates with increasing amplitude,whereas this recovery time increases remarkably for freshwater perturbations.A nonlinear(advective) feedback between density and velocity anomalies is proposed to explain these characteristics of decadal variability excitation.The results are consistent with previous ones from simple box models,and highlight the importance of nonlinear feedback in decadal THC variability.
基金supported by the National Basic Research Program of China(973 Program,Grant No.2012CB417404)
文摘The decadal variability of the North Atlantic thermohaline circulation(THC) is investigated within a three-dimensional ocean circulation model using the conditional nonlinear optimal perturbation method. The results show that the optimal initial perturbations of temperature and salinity exciting the strongest decadal THC variations have similar structures: the perturbations are mainly in the northwestern basin at a depth ranging from 1500 to 3000 m. These temperature and salinity perturbations act as the optimal precursors for future modifications of the THC, highlighting the importance of observations in the northwestern basin to monitor the variations of temperature and salinity at depth. The decadal THC variation in the nonlinear model initialized by the optimal salinity perturbations is much stronger than that caused by the optimal temperature perturbations, indicating that salinity variations might play a relatively important role in exciting the decadal THC variability. Moreover, the decadal THC variations in the tangent linear and nonlinear models show remarkably different characteristics, suggesting the importance of nonlinear processes in the decadal variability of the THC.
文摘Based on the evidence available from both observations and model simulations, the author proposes a view that may provide a unified interpretation of the North Atlantic thermohaline variability. Because of the slow response time of the Southern Ocean （millennia） and the relatively faster response time of the North Atlantic （centuries）, the North Atlantic thermohaline circulation is controlled predominantly by the climate forcing over the Southern Ocean at the long glacial cycle timescales, but by the North Atlantic climate forcing at the short millennial timescaies.
基金This paper is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation ofChina(No.90411010),the German Academic Exchange Service(DAAD)and the German Cli mate Center.
文摘The changes in the thermohaline circulation （THC） because of the increased CO2 in the atmosphere play an important role in future climate regimes. In this article, a new climate model developed at the Max-Planck Institute for Meteorology is used to study the variation in THC strength, the changes of North Atlantic deep-water （NADW） formation, and the regional responses of the THC in the North Atlantic to increasing atmospheric CO2. From 2000 to 2100, under increased CO2 scenarios （B1, AIB, and A2）, the strength of THC decreases by 4 Sv （106 m^3/s）, 5.1 Sv, and 5.2 Sv, respectively, equivalent to a reduction of 20%, 25%, and 25.1% of the present THC strength. The analyses show that the oceanic deep convective activity significantly strengthens in the Greenland-leeland-Norway （GIN） Seas owing to saltier （denser） upper oceans, whereas weakens in the Labrador Sea and in the south of the Denmark Strait region （SDSR） because of surface warming and freshening due to global warming. The saltiness of the GIN Seas is mainly caused by the increase of the saline North Atlantic inflow through the Faro-Bank （FB） Channel. Under the scenario A1B, the deep-water formation rate in the North Atlantic decreases from 16.2 Sv to 12.9 Sv with increasing CO2.
基金supported by National Basic Research Program of China(Grant No. 2012CB955200)National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.41130105,40776017)+2 种基金Open Project of KLME,NUIST(Grant No. LLME0507)Special Public Sector Research of CMA,China(Grant No. GYHY200906016)a project funded by the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions(PAPD)
文摘Atlantic thermohaline circulation(THC) is a key component of the Earth Climate System and identification of its changes during the 20th Century is critical to the understanding of its variation characteristics and the corresponding climatic impacts.Previous researches have been inconclusive,with the results varying depending on the approach used to measure THC.The results for the two established approaches for measurement of the phenomenon(direct observation and indirect reconstruction) are contradictive(weakening and non-weakening),and their credibility needs improving.Based on the tight relationship between THC anomaly and "see-saw" intensities of Sea Surface Temperature(SST) and Surface Air Temperature(SAT),we first diagnose their quantitative relationship in the model experiments,which is corresponding to its two possible scenarios,and then reconstruct the changes of THC during the 20th Century respectively with multiple observed datasets of SST and SAT.Model results show that THC anomaly and SST/SAT "see-saw" intensities are well correlated in timescales longer than 10/40 years under scenarios of weakening/non-weakening respectively.Two kinds of reconstructions here are consistent with each other,and we propose that THC has undergone a 2-cycle oscillation with inter-decadal scale since the Industrial Revolution with a magnitude of about 1 Sv.The transformation times of decadal trend are around the mid-1910s,the 1940s,and the mid-1970s.This research further validates the main results of previous reconstructions,and points out that THC does not have a long-term weakening during the 20th Century.
基金supported by the Foundation of Liaoning Educational Committee (Grant Nos. L2011096, L2013248)the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 91228202, 40976011)
文摘The assertion that the thermohaline circulation(THC)is driven and sustained by mechanical energy has been increasingly accepted.The simplest conceptual model describing the THC is the Stommel two-box model.Given the vertical stratification in the real ocean,layered models were designed and used.In this research,using a two-layer conceptual model based on energy constraint,we studied basic features of thermal-mode and saline-mode circulations.We focused on the effects of freshwater flux and mixing energy on the intensity and multiple equilibrium states of the THC.The results show that more important than affecting the THC intensity,both the decrease of freshwater flux and increase of mixing energy can lead to an"abrupt transition"in the THC from a stable saline to a stable thermal mode,which further develops the THC energy theory.
基金supported jointly by the State Key Programs (2007CB411806 and 2007BAC03A01)by Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) (Grant No 40975065)
文摘The latest two versions of the IAP Flexible Global Ocean-Atmosphere-Land System （FGOALS） model- versions g1.0 and g1.1, are described in this study. Both two versions are fully coupled GCMs without any flux correction, major changes for g1.1 mainly lie in four aspects： （1） advection schemes for tracer in the ocean component model; （2） zonal filter scheme in high latitudes in the ocean component model; （3） coupling scheme for fresh water flux in high latitudes; and （4） an improved algorithm of airsea turbulent flux depending on the surface current of the ocean. As a result, the substantial cold biases in the tropical Pacific and high latitudes are improved by g1.1, especially g1.1 simulates more reasonable equatorial thermocline, poleward heat transport, zonal overturning stream function in the ocean and sea ice distribution than g1.0. Significant ENSO variability are simulated by both versions, however the ENSO behavior by g1.0 differs from the observed one in many aspects： about twice ENSO amplitude as observed, false ENSO asymmetry, only one peak period around 3 years, etc. Due to improved mean climate state by g1.1, many basic characteristics of ENSO are reproduced by g1.1, e.g., more reasonable ENSO amplitude, two peaks of power spectra for ENSO events, and positive SST skewness in the eastern Pacific as observed.
文摘The process of air—sea fresh water exchange is included successfully in the Global— Ocean—Atmosphere Land—System model developed at the State Key Laboratory of Atmospheric Sciences and Geophysical Fluid Dynamics (LASG). The results of the coupled integration show that the climate drift has been controlled successfully. Analyses on the responses of ocean circulation to the changes of surface fresh water or salinity forcing show that the ocean spin-up stage under flux condition for salinity is the key to the implementation of air-sea fresh water flux coupling. This study also demonstrates that the Modified—Monthly—Flux—Anomaly coupling scheme (MMFA) brought forward by Yu and Zhang (1998) is suitable not only for daily air—sea heat flux coupling but also for daily fresh water flux coupling. Key words Fresh water flux - Air-sea coupling - Thermohaline circulation This work was co-supported by the National Key Project (Grant No.96-908-02-03), the Excellent National Key Laboratory Research Project (Grant No.49823002) and Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) under grant “ Bai Ren Ji Hua? for “Validation of Coupled Climate Models”.
基金supported by the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars(NSFC 40788002)the National Key Basic ResearchProgram (2007CB411800)
文摘In this paper, the role of westerly winds at southern high latitudes in global climate is investigated in a fully coupled ocean-atmosphere general circulation model. In the model, the wind stress south of 40°S is turned off with ocean and atmosphere fully coupled both locally and elsewhere. The coupled model explicitly demonstrates that a shutdown of southern high latitude wind stress induces a general cooling over the Antarctic Circumpolar Current （ACC） region, with surface Ekman flow and vertical mixing playing competitive roles. This cooling leads to an equatorward expansion of sea ice and triggers an equivalent barotropic response in the atmosphere to accelerate westerly anomalies. The shutdown of southern high latitude wind stress also significantly reduces global meridional overturning circulation （MOC）. The Antarctic MOC （AnMOC） nearly disappears while the Atlantic MOC （AMOC） is weakened by 50%, suggesting a strong control of the southern high latitude winds over the thermohaline circulation （THC）. In spite of a substantial weakening of the AMOC, the interhemispheric SST seesaw appears to be not significant due to an equatorward extension of the southern extratropical cooling through coupled wind-evaporation-SST （WES） feedback. In addition, it is found that the weakening of Atlantic MOC by as much as 50% is capable of cooling the time mean subpolar Atlantic temperature by only about 1°C.
基金Supported by the China National Science and Technology Major Project(2017ZX05063002-009)National Natural Science Foundation of China(4177021173,41972120)CNPC-Southwest Petroleum University Innovation Consortium Science and Technology Cooperation Project(2020CX020000)。
文摘Based on field outcrop data,the effects of cyclic change of astronomical orbit and volcanic activity on organic carbon accumulation during the Late Ordovician-Early Silurian in the Upper Yangtze area were studied using cyclostratigraphic and geochemical methods.d13 C and chemical index of alteration(CIA)were used to filter the astronomical orbit parameters recorded in sediments.It is found that the climate change driven by orbital cycle controls the fluctuations of sea level at different scales,obliquity forcing climate changes drive thermohaline circulation(THC)of the ocean,and THC-induced bottom currents transport nutrient-laden water from high latitude regions to the surface water of low-latitude area.Hence,THC is the main dynamic mechanism of organic-carbon supply.The marine productivity indexes of Ba/Al and Ni/Al indicate that volcanic activities had limited effect on marine productivity but had great influences on organic carbon preservation efficiency in late Hirnantian(E4).Paleo-ocean redox environmental indicators Th/U,V/Cr and V/(V+Ni)show that there is a significant correlation between volcanism and oxygen content in Paleo-ocean,so it is inferred that volcanisms controlled the organic carbon preservation efficiency by regulating oxygen content in Paleo-ocean,and the difference in volcanism intensity in different areas is an important factor for the differential preservation efficiency of organic carbon.The organic carbon input driven by orbital cycle and the preservation efficiency affected by volcanisms worked together to control the enrichment of organic carbon in the Middle–Upper Yangtze region.
文摘An ocean carbon cycle model driven by a constant flow field produced by a two-dimensional thermohaline circulation model is developed. Assuming that the biogenic carbon in the oceans is in a dynamic equilibrium, the inorganic carbon cycle is investigated. Before the oceanic uptake of CO_2 is carried out, the investigation of 14C distributions in the oceans, including natural and bomb-produced 14C,is conducted by using different values of the exchange coefficient of CO_2for different flow fields (different vertical diffusivities) to test the performance of the model. The suitable values of the exchange coefficient and vertical diffusivities are chosen for the carbon cycle model. Under the forcing of given preindustrial atmospheric CO_2 concentration of 280 ppmv, the carbon cycle model is integrated for seven thousand years to reach a steady state. For the human perturbation, two methods including the prescribed atmospheric pCO_2 and prescribed industrial emissions are used in this work. The results from the prescribed atmospheric pCO_2 show that the oceans take up 36% of carbon dioxide released by human activities for the period of 1980-1989, while the results from the prescribed industrial emission rates show that the oceans take up 34% of carbon dioxide emitted by industrial sources for the same period. By using the simple method of subtracting industrial emission rate from the total atmosphere+ocean accumulating rate, it can be deduced that before industrial revolution a non-industrial source exists, while after 1940 an extra sink is needed, and that a total non-industrial source of 45 GtC is obtained for the period of 1790-1990.
基金supported by the Project of China Geological Survey(Nos.GZH201100202,DD20160158)the Project of Taishan Scholars
文摘We use the particle size of sediments in core YS01A to study the sedimentary environment of the mud deposit in the central South Yellow Sea of China during late Marine Isotope Stages 3 （MIS3; 40.5 kyr-31.3 kyr）. In addition, the East Asian Monsoon and its relationship with the North Atlantic Ocean climate change are discussed based on the sensitive grain-size calculation and the spectrum analysis. The results show that during late MIS3, the muddy area in the central South Yellow Sea experienced the evolution of coastal facies, shallow marine facies, coastal facies, and continental facies, with weak hydrodynamic conditions. Compared with other climate indicators, we found that there were many century to millennium-scale climate signals documented in the muddy area sediments in the central South Yellow Sea. According to our particle size results, three strong winter monsoon events occurred at 37.6kyr, 35.6kyr and 32.2kyr. The East Asian Winter Monsoon records in core YS01A are consistent with the Greenland ice core and the Hulu cave stalagmite 8180. The millennial and centennial scale cycles, which are 55 yr, 72 yr, 115 yr, 262 yr respectively, correspond to solar activity cycles, while the 1049 yr and 2941 yr cycles correspond to the Dansgaard-Oeschger cycles. These cycles indicate that the paleoclimate evolution of the area was controlled by the solar activities, with the high-latitude driving thermohaline circulation as the main energy conveyor belt, followed by the sea-air-land amplification of the winter monsoon variation in the central Yellow Sea in the late MIS3.
文摘Irregular centennial oscillations, with a spectral peak at 106 years, were obtained from an ocean-ice coupled model for the North Atlantic with realistic coastline and bottom topography. The model's thermohaline circulation is forced by mixed boundary conditions, i.e., a Haney-type relaxation condition for temperature, but an equivalent virtual salt flux condition for salinity. All forcing fields are taken from the observed monthly mean climatological wind stress and buoyancy fluxes. The oscillations appeared in the form of a surface—intensified tripole in both the sea surface temperature and salinity fields located in the vicinity of the Labrador Sea. The oscillations involve a delicate interplay between heat and fresh water advection by meridional overturning circulation, horizontal gyres, vertical convection, and the seasonal cycle. The oscillations are primarily controlled by the salinity component of the circulation; however, sea ice plays a minor role in driving the oscillations observed in the model. On the other hand, a regular seasonal cycle in the forcing fields is an important ingredient for the centennial oscillations.
基金funded by the Nordic Top-level Research Initiative CRAICC(Cryosphere-Atmosphere Interactions in A Changing Arctic Climate)the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Nos.41001115 and 41210002)
文摘Climate changes at the multi-decadal scale are often associated with multi-decadal phase shifts of the dominant sea surface temperature （SST） pattern, such as the Pacific Decadal Oscillation （PDO）. The PDO may be associated with the North Pacific branch of the Thermohaline Circulation （THC）. Great earthquakes （M 〉8）, particularly along the route of the THC, might modulate the vertical mixing and bring deep, cold water to surface, contributing to multi-decadal changes in surface currents and the PDO. This may eventually lead to multi-decadal climate changes. We tested this hypothesis for the Pacific Ocean where great earthquakes have been frequently recorded. We found associations between the PDO and recurrent earthquakes along the route of the deep currents of the THC in the modern period since 1900, and relationships between hydroclimate change in Monsoonal Asia and historical earthquakes since 1300. However, it should be noted that this hypothesis is very preliminary and has many gaps that needs further evidences from more observational records and modeling studies.
